Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/24/aonic-automat-a-new-german-brand-makes-an-impressive-debut/
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The base movement is Damasko’s Caliber A26. This robust movement features a full bridge over the balance wheel, is regulated in five positions, runs at 28,800 VpH (4Hz), and has a power reserve of 42 hours.
It can be admired through the sapphire insert in the caseback, where the blued screws stand out against the dark grey finish of the bridges and oscillating weight, oozing a refined sense of industrial design.
On top of this movement, Damasko created the bidirectional, spring-loaded Äonic disc-play system. This is what makes the Automat truly special.
Underneath a dome of sapphire crystal, with an anti-reflective coating on the inside, twelve openings are visible. Eleven of them are white, and one is orange, indicating the hour.
While the Automat is a jump hour, it jumps in an interesting way as it uses the last 15 minutes of the hour to charge the spring that makes the jump. The top part shows the minutes, with a bright orange hand on a black disc, opposite of a window under which we see a disc with the seconds running. It all makes a full rotation in 60 minutes, secured to the rest of the movement with two blued screws.
Conquering height
The Automat has a very interactive way of telling the time, but is demanding in terms of height, or so it seems. When the Automat lies on a table or other surface, its shape makes it look quite voluminous. But looks can be deceiving, as a clever design makes sure that what you see off the wrist is not what you experience on the wrist.
The Automat is 12.95mm thick, and to put that into perspective, let’s compare this to the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M. While the Omega may look slimmer, it is actually thicker at 13.60mm high.
With the Automat, the entire case curves towards the domed sapphire crystal, but the lugs are also curved, making the watch seem thicker than it is.
Thanks to that, it really sits nicely on the wrist. Wichmann placed the crown a bit higher so that it doesn’t eat into your skin, and the watch is surprisingly light. It comes with fixed lugs, for which German strap manufacture Fluco made a design in leather that you connect with Velcro.
While ‘smooth black’ and ‘happy orange’ are included in the pack if you buy the Automat, along with a very nice travel case, other options are offered as well. Fellow German manufacturer Craiss went wild on the clasp.
You might not instantly realize it, but it is an ingenious construction that allows the strap to pass through and be optimally secured.
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Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/24/aonic-automat-a-new-german-brand-makes-an-impressive-debut/